Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter Ninety-Three: Everyone Has a Dream of Getting Rich

"Old man, you've got some good stuff, perfect for dog food." Xiao Chong mixed the remaining half-jar of honey with meat sauce and smeared it all over Gu Yifeng's crotch.

The large wolfhound, drawn by the aroma, barked incessantly, its tongue lolling out, and rattled the iron chain around its neck. It was impatient for the delicious meal before it.

Yin Changkong and the others stared, their mouths dry and eyes wide. This was utterly outrageous! If you wanted to harm his private parts, why not just cut them off with a knife? Why create such a horrific scene?

That's it! The real-life Dog King (good kids, don't ask Baidu!) is officially on stage. Xiao Chong glanced at the wind one last time, patted the big wolfhound's head, and chuckled, "Ladies and gentlemen, don't go away! Now comes the moment to witness a miracle!"

After saying that, he loosened the iron chain that was coiled together in his hands, and the big wolfhound let out a "howl" and pounced on the crotch of a gust of wind.

Seeing the large wolfhound charging fiercely, everyone gasped, feeling a tightness in their groin, and turned their heads away, unable to bear to watch any longer.

But even though they said they couldn't bear to look anymore, why was there still a sliver of expectation in their hearts? After the initial discomfort, everyone quietly turned around and secretly glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

"I confess!" Just as the big wolfhound bared its long fangs and was about to bite down, a gust of wind, seemingly out of nowhere, let out a roar, causing dust to fall from the roof beams.

Sigh, you're supposed to be a powerful bandit leader, how could you chicken out so quickly? What happened to your courage? Your integrity? Your unyielding spirit? How pathetic!

Xiao Chong pulled hard on the other end of the iron chain, stopping the wolfhound's momentum.

The big wolfhound was furious at missing out on its delicious meal. It barked and jumped angrily, its teeth clenching so hard they seemed to be lodging a stern protest against Xiao Chong.

The crowd, not seeing the spectacle they had imagined, couldn't help but shake their heads slightly.

Judging from the slightly regretful expression on his face, he was clearly unwilling to give up, as if he was doing something and was getting into the swing of things, but was abruptly interrupted just as he was about to enter the alley.

Okay, I understand how you feel, but we can't act impulsively right now. Let's get our hands on the treasure first.

Xiao Chong clicked his tongue and said to Gu Yifeng, "That's right, a good comrade should actively cooperate. So, tell me, where exactly is the treasure?"

Still shaken, Gu Zhenfeng gasped, "If I hand over the treasure, will you let me go...?"

"Hand it over, and I'll spare your life." Xiao Chong impatiently interrupted Yizhenfeng as he told Yin Feng to lead the big wolfhound away.

A gust of wind clearly didn't trust Xiao Chong, staring into his eyes and saying, "Alright, I admit defeat, I just hope you keep your word."

Xiao Chong immediately raised his palm, pointed to the sky, and swore an oath: "If I break my promise, may I be struck by lightning!"

It's said that the people of Tianyun Continent are quite simple and honest, and they take oaths and vows very seriously. Even a ruthless bandit like Yizhenfeng, who always puts his life on the line, completely trusts Xiao Chong when he sees him making such a solemn vow.

"I can't move right now. Once my injuries heal, I'll take you to get it," a gust of wind said weakly.

"The longer we wait, the more things can go wrong. We can't afford to put off this treasure hunt any longer; we need to get it as soon as possible." Xiao Chong waved to Yin Feng and said, "Have someone carry him up; let's set off now."

“That’s right, we have to go sooner or later, so it’s better to go sooner rather than later,” Yin Changkong agreed.

Hearing his father say the same thing, Yin Feng immediately mustered his men, had a stretcher made and carried them on a gust of wind. Following the road he indicated, they prepared to retrieve the treasure in a grand procession.

It is said that people are in high spirits when they are happy. Encouraged by the treasure, the group traveled quickly and arrived at the lair of a gust of wind after half a day.

Inside a huge cave, a gust of wind pointed to the iron door of a secret chamber and said, "This is it. All the wealth I've accumulated over the years is inside."

"Where's the key?" Xiao Chong asked, glancing at a gust of wind.

With such a valuable treasure before us, why would we have time to look for a key? Besides, you stripped him naked earlier, does he look like he has a key on him? Yin Changkong curled his lip contemptuously, let out a loud shout, and lunged at the iron gate.

As expected of a veteran martial artist, his combat prowess was truly formidable. With a deafening "boom," the iron gate was sent flying more than ten feet away, sending rubble and dust billowing up from around the door frame, obscuring even the figures of people.

Once the dust settled, Yin Changkong, covered in soot, smiled and said, "It's been quite a while since I've practiced, so my martial arts are a bit rusty. Please come in, everyone."

Still unfamiliar? Did you often break into people's doors before? Xiao Chong gave Yin Changkong a disdainful look and led the group in single file.

The secret chamber appeared unremarkable from the outside, but once inside, it was a completely different world. It was ten zhang wide and thirty zhang long, with a large hole carved out every ten steps in the wall, inside which was an oil lamp that burned year-round. A luminous pearl the size of a bowl hung high from the ceiling, illuminating the secret chamber as if it were daytime.

Rows of neatly stacked wooden crates, each about three feet square, led straight to the end of the secret chamber. The iron door, which had been smashed open by Yin Changkong, lay beside one of the crates, its contents shattered, the gleaming silver ingots scattered all over the floor.

"Open all these boxes, I need to inspect the goods," Xiao Chong calmly ordered, as if he were the master thief dividing the loot.

Upon receiving the order, some people found tools such as iron bars and began to pry open the wooden box.

The first row of boxes contained weapons and armor, and judging from their quality, they were all ordinary items.

"It's not all that great. Is this the treasure you were talking about?" Xiao Chong looked at a gust of wind with disappointment, his face full of dissatisfaction.

A gust of wind was startled and quickly said, "There's more, there's more to come."

The second row of boxes was opened, revealing silver ingots inside. Xiao Chong's expression softened slightly, and he ordered others to continue opening the boxes.

The third row of boxes was filled with gold bricks. Seeing these yellow and white objects, Xiao Chong remained calm and gestured towards the next row of boxes.

The contents of these boxes were quite impressive, filled with various jewels such as jade, agate, tortoiseshell, emerald, and more. The dazzling gold almost blinded everyone.

"With so much money, when will we ever run out?" the fat man asked, sprawled unceremoniously on a box.

Xiao Chong, disapproving of the fat man's spineless demeanor, asked dismissively, "Do you like it?"

"If I like it, I can buy lots and lots of food." The fat man nodded while wiping the drool from his mouth.

"You're so ignorant! If you like it, take it and play with it. Take as much as you want." Xiao Chong grabbed a handful of jewelry and casually threw it on the ground, like a worldly sage unmoved by money. He said, "It's just some gambling stuff. You can't eat it when you're hungry, and you can't buy anything really good. Why are you so excited?"

"Last time you won money at the Silver Hook Casino, why weren't you this generous when it came to splitting the winnings?" The fat man climbed down from the box, looked at Xiao Chong, and secretly despised his pretentious behavior.

As the two were talking, the last row of boxes was opened.

The boxes were dim and dull, but they contained the most valuable elemental stones, a total of forty or fifty boxes.

Xiao Chong was now in a panic. He hissed and gasped, then slumped onto the box, looking even more disheveled than the fat man.

This is understandable. Although Xiao Chong has seen many spirit stones since finding the spiritual vein, and even more that Yin Changkong escorted back to Tiannan Town yesterday, those belong to the family property. It is not appropriate to make any rash moves under the watchful eyes of everyone.

What he got from a gust of wind now is different; these are his personal spoils of war and he doesn't have to hand them over at all.

After a long while, Xiao Chong finally recovered from his shock, jumped off the box, and shouted, "Quickly, move them all back! Move them all back! Remember not to mix them with the spirit stones mined from the mine, these are all my private collections."

But no one moved; everyone stared at the box in silence.

In the silence, Yin Changkong said simply, "I didn't eat breakfast, so I don't have the strength to move things around."

Huh? What does this mean? Does everyone dream of getting rich? Xiao Chong looked at everyone one by one, only to see that everyone looked like they were half-starved.

It seems that eating alone isn't so pleasant. Xiao Chong glanced at everyone's expressions, then at the hundreds of wooden crates, and realized that the workload was simply too great; it was an impossible task for him to complete by himself alone.

Alright, it's not right for me to eat the meat but not even give you the soup. Xiao Chong thought for a moment and said, "Everyone who sees it gets a share. Every disciple in the clan will receive a box of spirit stones. Uncle Yin's cultivation level is high, so he consumes more during cultivation, so he will receive two boxes... no, three boxes. In addition, those who came to mine will share ten boxes of gold and silver."

With a generous reward, brave men will surely emerge. Yin Changkong shouted, "Let's get to work!"

After saying that, he took the lead, picked up two boxes of spirit stones, and headed straight for the door. Everyone rushed forward with a "whoosh," found long poles and ropes, and "huffed and puffed" as they carried the boxes out the door.

Seeing that everyone was about to leave, Xiao Chong said urgently, "Leave two people behind and take this gust of wind back with you."

"Didn't you say you'd release me if I handed over the treasure?" A gust of wind asked, puzzled.

Xiao Chong chuckled and replied, "That's right, I said I would spare your life, but I didn't promise to let you go."

A gust of wind roared in exasperation, "You...you're shameless! You're kicking people away after you've served your purpose, you're dishonest!"

You, a bandit leader, have the nerve to talk to me about integrity! Have you been kicked in the head by a donkey? Xiao Chong's face darkened, and without further ado, he said, "Take him away!"

Yin Changkong had already reached the door when he heard their conversation. He turned back and said, "What a long-winded talk. What's the point of keeping this kind of desperate criminal alive? We might as well just kill him!"

"Then you'll kill him?" Xiao Chong asked in a low voice.

What a joke! You swore an oath to the heavens, what if I get struck by lightning if I kill him? Yin Changkong paused, then turned and walked away.

"He's so wasteful. This guy, Feng, is a notorious bandit in the Southern Wilderness. He's robbed countless pioneering teams. If he were sent to Hengshan, they'd surely have to give him something in return, right?" Xiao Chong glanced at Yin Changkong's back and muttered, labeling him a spendthrift.

"How could a person... be so... shameless..." Watching his hard-earned wealth of over twenty years being wiped out in an instant, while he himself was trapped in a mess, he muttered a few words in a gust of wind. Suddenly, a surge of anger rushed to his heart, and he finally fainted.